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Art Deco · 11-10-2021, 12:40 PM

Game 1: The Rays rolled into Baltimore to take on the red-hot Orioles, who have established themselves as the #1 wild card, so this series has a bit of an ALDS preview air about it. Hopefully for the Rays it's not an omen as they (Ken Neil, mostly) blew a 5-3 lead in the 8th and lost 7-5. Ben Hill had a big game (3-5 with HR #25 & 2 RBI) and Pat Moyer homered (#14) to give them the lead with Luis Balladares turning in his usual outing at 5.1 6 3 3 1 4, but Neil lost the plot (and the game) in the 8th, giving up an RBI double and then a 2-out 3-run homer to lose the game.

Game 2: More frustration for the Rays as they were shut down by Baltimore's Joe Welters, who came into the game with a 5.56 ERA but kept them off the board for 5 2/3 in a 2-1 loss. Josh Alexander's 9th-inning homer (#12) halved the lead but it was too little, too late and the Rays wasted a fine start from Nate Thompson, who went 7 5 2 2 3 7.

Game 3: The way he's gone this season Ken Neil blowing a game isn't a shock. But Kikuo Kawase blowing one does qualify as "man bites dog" and he yielded a 3-run homer in the 9th to turn a 5-4 win into a 7-5 loss. Danny Ayala continued his torrid September by homering twice, the second of which (#41) broke a 4-4 tie in the 8th and the Rays looked set. But Kawase put two men on with one out and served up a 3-run gopher ball to Cesar Gonzalez, the first he's allowed this season after allowing just one each of the previous 2 years. Tim Gates did not have a very good start (5 5 4 4 2 1) but 3 scoreless innings from the pen kept them in it before it all went wrong. Earlier Josh Alexander homered for the second straight day (#13).

Game 4: The Rays salvaged a game from the series behind another fine start from Danny Romero and another big day at the plate for Danny Ayala in a 6-3 win. With no clear front-runner for the AL Cy Young, Romero has a shot at repeating despite a 4.25 ERA as he's now 16-10 and clearly leads the AL in pitcher WAR at 4.9 after today's 6 5 1 1 1 5 outing with one more start to burnish his resume. Ayala meanwhile has to be considered the front-runner for MVP as he was 3-4 today with a 2-run homer in the first (an AL-leading #42) and has pulled away from the pack in the AL with 6.5 WAR. Pat Moyer also homered in a 4-run first (#15) and Daniel Vasquez was 3-5 with 2 RBI to increase his AL-leading total to 119.

Team record: 106-50. Next up: An off-day then we start the final week of the regular season with 3 at Yankee Stadium.

Durham Playoff Update: The Bulls pulled themselves off the mat and won Games 3 and 4 in Buffalo to force a deciding Game 5 in Durham in two days. They took a 5-2 Game 3 win behind a solid start from Mario Candelaria (signed as a free agent in August) and a big 3-run homer from Jose Mendez. Game 4 was won in similar fashion 6-2 with Jose Varela providing a great start and Quincy Siegle the big blow a 2-run single to which he added a homer later. Rather than go with the mercurial Josh MacDonald in Game 5, we've called up our best pitching prospect this side of Jose Mendoza in Sean Forbes from AA Montgomery to start. Forbes had a 3.63 ERA in 151 IP and a 49/167 BB/K ratio this season and is ranked as the #42 prospect in MLB by BNN.

11-10-2021, 12:40 PM	#1435
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,946	September 22-25, 2039: at Baltimore (4) Game 1: The Rays rolled into Baltimore to take on the red-hot Orioles, who have established themselves as the #1 wild card, so this series has a bit of an ALDS preview air about it. Hopefully for the Rays it's not an omen as they (Ken Neil, mostly) blew a 5-3 lead in the 8th and lost 7-5. Ben Hill had a big game (3-5 with HR #25 & 2 RBI) and Pat Moyer homered (#14) to give them the lead with Luis Balladares turning in his usual outing at 5.1 6 3 3 1 4, but Neil lost the plot (and the game) in the 8th, giving up an RBI double and then a 2-out 3-run homer to lose the game. Game 2: More frustration for the Rays as they were shut down by Baltimore's Joe Welters, who came into the game with a 5.56 ERA but kept them off the board for 5 2/3 in a 2-1 loss. Josh Alexander's 9th-inning homer (#12) halved the lead but it was too little, too late and the Rays wasted a fine start from Nate Thompson, who went 7 5 2 2 3 7. Game 3: The way he's gone this season Ken Neil blowing a game isn't a shock. But Kikuo Kawase blowing one does qualify as "man bites dog" and he yielded a 3-run homer in the 9th to turn a 5-4 win into a 7-5 loss. Danny Ayala continued his torrid September by homering twice, the second of which (#41) broke a 4-4 tie in the 8th and the Rays looked set. But Kawase put two men on with one out and served up a 3-run gopher ball to Cesar Gonzalez, the first he's allowed this season after allowing just one each of the previous 2 years. Tim Gates did not have a very good start (5 5 4 4 2 1) but 3 scoreless innings from the pen kept them in it before it all went wrong. Earlier Josh Alexander homered for the second straight day (#13). Game 4: The Rays salvaged a game from the series behind another fine start from Danny Romero and another big day at the plate for Danny Ayala in a 6-3 win. With no clear front-runner for the AL Cy Young, Romero has a shot at repeating despite a 4.25 ERA as he's now 16-10 and clearly leads the AL in pitcher WAR at 4.9 after today's 6 5 1 1 1 5 outing with one more start to burnish his resume. Ayala meanwhile has to be considered the front-runner for MVP as he was 3-4 today with a 2-run homer in the first (an AL-leading #42) and has pulled away from the pack in the AL with 6.5 WAR. Pat Moyer also homered in a 4-run first (#15) and Daniel Vasquez was 3-5 with 2 RBI to increase his AL-leading total to 119. Team record: 106-50. Next up: An off-day then we start the final week of the regular season with 3 at Yankee Stadium. Durham Playoff Update: The Bulls pulled themselves off the mat and won Games 3 and 4 in Buffalo to force a deciding Game 5 in Durham in two days. They took a 5-2 Game 3 win behind a solid start from Mario Candelaria (signed as a free agent in August) and a big 3-run homer from Jose Mendez. Game 4 was won in similar fashion 6-2 with Jose Varela providing a great start and Quincy Siegle the big blow a 2-run single to which he added a homer later. Rather than go with the mercurial Josh MacDonald in Game 5, we've called up our best pitching prospect this side of Jose Mendoza in Sean Forbes from AA Montgomery to start. Forbes had a 3.63 ERA in 151 IP and a 49/167 BB/K ratio this season and is ranked as the #42 prospect in MLB by BNN.